Can just 15 minutes of Pilates strengthen your core? I put it to the test

a woman doing pilates — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

The appeal of short workouts is obvious — who wants to spend an hour training hard if you can get most of the benefits in 15 minutes? The question is how much you really improve with such short sessions.

They’re certainly better than nothing. One of the most important rules I have about fitness is that something is always better than nothing, because it encourages you to move and get into the habit of training as a minimum.

When it comes to short core workouts in particular, I’ve certainly found that they are beneficial for me. Doing a 10- or 15-minute workout a few times a week has noticeably improved my core strength whenever I’ve been able to stick at it for a month or two.

This 15-minute Pilates workout from Move With Nicole is my current go-to option, because it’s impressively effective in exhausting the core muscles in a short space of time.

Watch Move With Nicole’s 15-minute Pilates workout

15 MIN PILATES CORE & ABS WORKOUT || Intermediate Pilates (No Equipment) - YouTube

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Nicole leads you through the workout, demonstrating each move in the video while the voiceover talks through your breathing and gives tips on how to position your body correctly, along with some welcome encouragement.

You don’t need anything to do the workout beyond one of the best yoga mats and a bit of space. Here’s why I rate the session so highly.

It works the whole core

a woman doing a side plank — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

In just 15 minutes the workout challenges your entire core, working the upper and lower abs, along with the obliques and the deep core muscles that stabilize the body.

I find that 15 minutes is more than enough time to exhaust each area of my core with the long sets of each exercise you do in the workout.

If you are already in excellent shape then perhaps you’d need a longer session, but it’s pitched perfectly for me in challenging the core without being so long and hard I struggle to complete the moves.

It’s great for building endurance

a woman in a sports bra and leggings pulling into a bicycle crunch on a mat — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

The workout flows through several series of moves that stack upon each other to increase the difficulty. So you do sit-ups with your legs raised, then sit-ups with toe-taps, then twisting sit-ups with toe-taps, for example.

As a result you’ll be holding difficult positions for long periods of time, and the session builds endurance in your core along with directly strengthening it.

I’m a runner and this kind of strength endurance is key for holding my form deep into long races like marathons, so it’s great to get this benefit even from a 15-minute session.

It teaches you the importance of breath control

a photo of a woman doing a Pilates workout — (Image credit: Getty/Alexandr Dubynin)

Working in line with your inhales and exhales is a key part of Pilates and something you don’t come across so much with regular core workouts, and this session shows the importance of using your breath.

Nicole says when to inhale and exhale with each movement, and this will help you to stay in control during the exercises and make them a little easier as well.

All too often I find myself holding my breath during workouts when attempting to do a tough exercise, which only makes it tougher! Get into the flow of breathing while you move and your core session will only get better.

It’s accessible

Woman performing a crunch on her yoga mat with hands behind her head — (Image credit: Shutterstock images/ Standret)

This is a fairly challenging workout, but one that I think anyone can give a go because you don’t need a lot of equipment or space to do it.

If the exercises themselves are proving too tough, you can easily reduce the amount of reps and rest for longer, something I did for a couple of the harder moves.

For a more beginner-focused approach to Pilates core workouts, you can try this side kick series recommended by an instructor, which will help you build the strength to go into longer flows.

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Nick Harris-Fry is an experienced health and fitness journalist, writing professionally since 2012. He spent nine years working on the Coach magazine and website before moving to the fitness team at Tom’s Guide in 2024. Nick is a keen runner and also the founder of YouTube channel The Run Testers, which specialises in reviewing running shoes, watches, headphones and other gear.

Nick ran his first marathon in 2016 and became obsessed with the sport. He now has PBs of 2hr 25min for the marathon and 15min 30sec for 5K. Nick is also a qualified Run Leader in the UK.

Nick is an established expert in the fitness area and along with writing for many publications, including Live Science, Expert Reviews, Wareable, Coach and Get Sweat Go, he has been quoted on The Guardian and The Independent.

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